Part 1: Establishing a nursery and propagation schedule.
The establishing of a nursery and propagation schedule is the most important phase of any size tropical landscape project. Aspects of a nursery include the greenhouse, propagation beds, and finished area. When constructing the nursery important points to consider are light, air, and drainage, all of which are site specific. These three areas are crucial to the success of the propagation of nursery stock plants to supply the demands of the landscape project. The problems associated with too much or insufficient amount of these include rot, leggy weak growth, sunburn, and desiccation. Applications to ensure proper balance of light, air and drainage include shade cloth, ranging from 35% to 80% and dependent on the exposure. Placement of the green house should be such to ensure ample airflow.
Propagation beds should be constructed with ample drainage, and the soil composition should provide sufficient drainage, which depends on the amount of water, and the two previous described aspects, light and airflow. The propagation beds should be constructed to also provide enough area for the successful growth of the propagation stock plants, and is dependent on the specificity of the planting scheme. The final aspect of the nursery is the finish area. This is the area outside the greenhouse, which is the staging area for the landscape installation and for hardening off the finished propagated plants. The establishment of a successful nursery and propagation schedule will ensure adequate volume of nursery stock for installation, and will provide an established or finished look to the planting schemes of the landscape design.
